Farmworker pesticide bill slated to triple UCD Extension funding

Farmworker pesticide legislation introduced by Congressman John Garamendi, D-Solano, is slated to expand funding for related programs through the University of California, Davis Extension.

On Wednesday, Cesar Chavez Day, Garamendi put forward the Farmworker Pesticide Safety Act, which is expected to triple funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s worker protection, public-private partnership and pesticide safety education grant programs. The University of California, Davis Extension, officials said, “is the single largest recipient of this federal grant money in the nation.”

The bill is endorsed by the Association of American Pesticide Control Officials.

In a press statement, the congressman said the bill supports the correct application of agricultural pesticides and provides farmworkers with resources for the safe handling of and proper decontamination protocols regarding pesticides.

“On average, my bill would provide $4.15 million annually in additional federal funding to UC Davis Extension’s outreach and support services regarding pesticide safety for farmworkers and their families,” he wrote. “This new federal funding would come at no cost to taxpayers, complementing the very substantial investments California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation is already making to ensure that farmworkers and their young children are not exposed to dangerous pesticide levels.”

UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education is the national coordinator for the federal EPA’s Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative and Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative-Medical. The school manages cooperative agreements with the EPA for pesticide education for farmworkers, pesticide handlers and medical professionals.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it collected an average of $4.15 million annually for pesticide regulatory violations during the past 5 years. Current federal law has fines and penalties going to the U.S. treasury.

Garamendi’s bill would instead direct fines toward the EPA’s Worker Protection Grants, boosting them from $1 million to $3.075 million; increasing Public-Private Partnership Grants from $500,000 to $1.5375 million; and jumping Pesticide Safety Education Grants from $500,000 to$1.5375 million. The extra funding, officials emphasized, would be at no additional cost to taxpayers, growers or the pesticide industry:

The Farmworker Pesticide Safety Act awaits action by the House Committee on Agriculture.